Review Summary: Aggression meets restraint.
Potential is a tricky thing. It can be fascinating yet frustrating to hear an album that is good and works well as a cohesive whole, but shows signs of something more, something larger and more potent. This was my relationship with All Get Outs 2011 LP The Season. A very good alt rock gem, the album showcased a lot of the bands strengths and showed shades of alt rock contemporaries Manchester Orchestra. Five year later, that potential has been realized with their newest LP Nobody Likes A Quitter. A stunning listen from start to finish, this is an album you need to hear.
The album begins with possibly its best song, "Room To Talk". Opening with powerful drumming and shimmering 90s alt rock guitars, the song fuses everything the band does well into one 4 minute package. The soft/loud dynamic between the aggressive verses and more serene chorus works beautifully, with a bridge and outro thats sure to please longtime fans. Lead singer and guitarist Nathan Hussey shines here, with his emotional vocals and great lyrical work continuing throughout the record. The drums and bass are also well done, adding a sense of groove to the record. First single "Home" continues this trend, with a more aggressive and almost heavier guitar tone and deviously catchy chorus. We're off to a strong start, and the album continues to deliver throughout the remaining eight tracks.
The centerpiece of the album is "Empty Nest", a mostly acoustic number with some subtle harmonies and soft pianos in the background adding lush texture and atmosphere to an already well crafted masterpiece of a song. This song shows that potential fully realized, with fantastically constructed lyrics and beautiful melodies buoying a fantastically well done acoustic song. We're eased back into the alt rock jams with the one two punch of "Now You Got It" and "Sideways", both incredibly catchy tracks with triumphant mid tempo drumming and guitars. The bass also gets to shine in these songs, adding a thumping atmosphere to accentuate the powerful guitars and sturdy drumming. Closer "Wait List" is another beautiful acoustic song, bringing the album to a somber but perfect close. Hussey converses with god and thinks back on certain events, using somber acoustic strums and emotional vocals to accentuate the lyrics. Its a fantastic way to close the album, with Hussey crooning "I'm still chasing you. Still waiting for you. I'm still chasing, you. Still behaving like you never left.". Its the perfect period to end this album on, and makes you want to hit play again.
With Nobody Likes A Quitter, All Get Out have created an absolute masterpiece of an album. An album that can stand shoulder to shoulder with other alt rock gems like War Paint and Mean Everything To Nothing. With a lean, taut, ten track frame the album takes you on a beautiful journey. The production is fantastic and the songwriting is stellar, Nobody Likes A Quitter shows All Get Out firing on all cylinders and fully realizing the potential that was sensed in The Season. Do yourself a favor and listen to this albums by any means necessary. You wont regret it.
